Reducing the number of cats and dogs that are euthanized or left unadopted is the goal of an initiative announced Tuesday between Lafayette Consolidated Government and the nonprofit group Target Zero.

"It's not the right thing to do to kill 4,000-5,000 animals a year," Melinda Falgout, board president of Acadiana Animal Aid, said. "Lafayette is best at so many things, but animal welfare is not one of them. This will get us there."

Mayor-President Joel Robideaux is spearheading the effort to get Lafayette Parish to no-kill status and to build a new animal shelter.

"I'm not going to be satisfied ... with just getting to no-kill," he said. "In typical Lafayette mentality, I want this to become a shelter that the rest of the country is going to look at and say, 'Look where they were' and, 'Oh my God, look where they are now. Look at this shelter.'"

Funding to build a new shelter is made possible by a move initiated by former City-Parish President Joey Durel. Under his leadership, voters approved a measure to combine well-performing mosquito control and public health unit taxes into a single public health millage, with some of that tax revenue going to animal control.

Dr. Sara Pizano, program director of Target Zero, said no-kill means 90 percent or more of animals in the shelter are not euthanized. Some animals with severe health problems and large aggressive dogs that cannot be rehabilitated may still need to be put down, she said.

Target Zero assessed the Lafayette Parish Animal Control program and provided Robideaux with a report at no cost. The group will work with Lafayette to find local and national donors, grants and partners to implement its initiative, Pizano said.

Before the new shelter is built, the Lafayette Parish Animal Control Center needs to change the way it operates, adopting best practices that Target Zero advocates.

One step taking place already is the use of new animal management software to help shelter personnel better track cats and dogs and make better decisions.

A team will be established to reduce the number of animals euthanized at the shelter and a big adoption event will take place to reduce the number of animals already in the shelter, Robideaux said. Lafayette Parish Animal Control will work with SpayNation and local veterinarians to spay/neuter, vaccinate and ear-tip outside cats, and will work with Friends of the Lafayette Animal Shelter to offer pet owners alternatives to voluntarily surrendering pets to the shelter.